Toothbrush with independently adjusting bristle clusters

ABSTRACT

A toothbrush of the invention uses magnetic repulsion phenomenon to effectively clean teeth surface. The head of the toothbrush accommodates plurality of bristle clusters, each cluster having a magnet affixed to its base. Another magnet is positioned underneath such base and aligned so that identical poles of both magnets face one another. Such alignment generates magnetic repulsion which, when combined with the brushing motion initiated by user, ensures that bristle clusters individually adjust to irregular teeth surface and reach deep into separation between adjoining teeth thus ensuring effective cleaning of the teeth and gaps between them.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a toothbrush having a brushing member with plurality of bristle clusters designed to use magnetic repulsion to move independently in the plane perpendicular to the brushing member surface. As a result such bristle sets exert adjusted differing pressure to uneven teeth surface and spaces between teeth, thus improving teeth cleaning effect.

The toothbrush of the invention alleviates deficiencies of a conventional toothbrush that provide bristles of fixed length which are not capable of reaching all the needed areas.

2. Description of Related Art

Toothbrushes typically consist of a handle and a head wherein the head houses bristles designed to serve as teeth brushing element. Initially, most designs of the toothbrush incorporated straight bristle sets of equal length affording a flat brushing surface. As teeth present uneven, irregular surface with nooks, crevices and gaps between teeth these toothbrushes were deficient in providing efficient cleaning element. Therefore, the majority of modern designs strived to provide a more efficient functional solution in affording, for example, bristle sets of differing length, and flexible or multi-sectional toothbrush heads. For example, toothbrush described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,770 B2 has a multi-sectional head that can bend and adjust its sections alignment. Magnets are used there to help restore proper alignment of the sections. Inventors also proposed powered toothbrushes outfitted with vibrating brushing elements, e.g., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,625,916 and 6,347,452B1; rotating bristle sets, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,795: or ultrasonic cleaning element as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,197.

These implements, however, still fall short as their brushes are not outfitted to adjust to the inherently irregular tooth surface and fail to reach most of teeth surface between adjoining teeth. Thus, they are largely ineffectual in removing biofilm and efficiently cleaning harder to reach areas of tooth surface in particular. Some powered toothbrushes additionally introduce a disadvantage of being harsh on the gums and exacerbating the receding gum line problem.

Magnets have been used in toothbrushes of the prior art. For example, in US. Pat. Appl. No. 20050204490, where the toothbrush is motorized by magnetic levitation technology, magnets were employed to power the implement without the need to rely on outside power sources such as electricity or a battery. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,497 magnetic bristles have been proposed to activate toothpaste ingredients. Magnets have also been used in toothbrushes to impart the healing effect of the magnetic field on the oral cavity. For example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,895,630 B2, magnets implanted into the toothbrush encasement were to provide strong magnetic field and its purported healing effect on some ailments. Conversely, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,768, projecting elements of toothbrush head with magnets embedded in them were designed to provide gum massaging function and consequently prevent gingivitis and some other conditions. Overall, however magnets incorporated in the prior art have not been used to remedy the problem of ineffective cleaning of the teeth.

It is the object of this invention to provide a brushing member design having bristle clusters that independently self-adjusts to variable tooth surface and gaps in between teeth to ensure effective teeth cleansing solution without being too harsh on the gums. Such implement can also be light-weight, easy to handle and store.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the problems delineated above, a toothbrush with a head having independently moving plurality of bristle clusters is proposed. Such bristle clusters afford effective cleaning of the tooth surface by providing adjustable pressure created by the force of magnetic repulsion combined with the pressure exerted by the toothbrush user while brushing their teeth. Additionally, bristle clusters positioned between the teeth are extended by magnetic repulsion which ensures reaching teeth proximal surfaces and efficient brushing between teeth. The structure of such brushing member that is attached seamlessly or through a coupling implement to its handle is as delineated below.

The toothbrush head of the invention has, at a minimum, one surface that houses plurality of bristle clusters affixed perpendicular to its surface in a surrounding semi-flexible material. The base of each bristle cluster is held by an encasement that accommodates two magnet bars positioned parallel to each other and perpendicular to bristle shafts. The upper magnet bar is affixed to the base of a bristle cluster whereas the lower magnet is affixed to the bottom of the encasement. The magnet bars are aligned so that identical magnetic poles face each other, i.e., the south magnetic pole of the upper magnet faces the south magnetic pole of the lower magnet or the north magnetic pole of the upper magnet faces the north magnetic pole of the lower magnet. Such positioning of magnets ensures generation of repulsive magnetic pressure on the base of each bristle cluster. Thus, when the head of the toothbrush is pressed against the teeth and moved around while brushing, bristle clusters are extended out adjusting to the surface of the teeth and separation between them to effectively clean teeth surface.

The foregoing has outlined the more important attributes of the present invention. Additional features of the invention that also form the subject of the claims will be described hereinafter. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention and that such other structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claim, and the accompanying drawings in which similar elements are given similar reference numerals.

FIG. 1 Is a top view of the head of the toothbrush;

FIG. 2 Is a cross-sectional long side view of the toothbrush head showing how the mechanism and magnetic phenomena work;

FIG. 3 Is a cross-sectional short side view of the toothbrush head;

FIG. 4 Is a toothbrush head and its bristle clusters positioning in the mouth;

FIG. 5 Is the toothbrush head side view;

FIG. 6 Is a toothbrush handle and head without bristle clusters;

FIG. 7 Is a toothbrush side view; and

FIG. 8 Is a toothbrush head view showing the mechanics of the solution.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Before explaining at least one major embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.

One embodiment of the invention is a toothbrush as seen in FIG. 1 that consists of two major parts: a substantially rectangular or oblong head 2, and a handle 4 that can be of varied shapes and sizes. The top surface of the toothbrush head houses plurality of bristle clusters 1 sealed around and separated from each other with a flexible rubber or another water-resistant, supple material 3. The base of each bristle cluster as depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 is held by an encasement 7 that accommodates two magnet bars positioned parallel to each other and perpendicular to bristle shafts 1. The upper magnet bar 5 is affixed to the base of a bristle cluster 1 while the lower magnet 6 is affixed to the bottom of the encasement 7. The two magnets in each encasement 7 are aligned so that their identical poles face one another, i.e., either the south poles (S) of the magnets (as in FIGS. 2 and 3) or north poles (N) of the magnet bars are positioned opposite each other. Such magnet positioning generates magnetic repulsion in space 13 that is transferred to the base of the bristle cluster 1. Consequently, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, when head of the toothbrush is pressed against the teeth and moved around while brushing, bristle clusters 1 are extended out adjusting to the irregular surface of the teeth as well as spaces between adjoining teeth working independently to proficiently reach and clean teeth surface.

Another embodiment of the invention is a toothbrush that consists of two major parts: a substantially rectangular or oblong head 2, and a handle 4 that can be of varied shapes and sizes. The top surface of the toothbrush head houses plurality of bristle clusters 1 sealed around and separated from each other with a flexible rubber or another water-resistant, supple material 3. The base of all bristle clusters is held by an encasement that accommodates a lower magnet bar affixed to the bottom of the entire encasement. In addition the base of each bristle cluster has a magnet bar affixed to it. The upper magnets are positioned parallel to the lower magnet and perpendicular to bristle shafts. The upper magnets are aligned so they face the lower magnet with their identical pole, i.e., either the south poles (S) of the upper magnets face the south pole (S) of the lower magnet or north poles (N) of the upper magnets face the north pole (N) of the lower magnet. Such magnet positioning generates magnetic repulsion that is transferred to the base of each bristle cluster. Consequently, when head of the toothbrush is pressed against the teeth and moved around while brushing, bristle clusters are extended out adjusting to the irregular surface of the teeth as well as spaces between adjoining teeth working independently to proficiently reach and clean teeth surface.

The toothbrush can be constructed with the upper chamber 9, the lower chamber 8, the upper handle 10, and the lower handle 11. Together the upper handle 10 and the lower handle 11 are for holding the toothbrush 12 together. It is manufactured out of plastic or another rigid or semi-rigid material known in the art. Space between bristle clusters is filled with rubber, rubber-like or another flexible material that both seals base of each cluster with the encasement, protects it from the elements and is flexible enough to allow a measure of independent vertical movement of each bristle cluster. The magnet bars are permanent magnets that may include ceramic magnets or those made from materials such as, but not limited to, Alnico, or other alloys such as samarium-cobalt or neodymium-iron-boron.

While there have been shown, described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention and not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are entitled. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A toothbrush comprising a gripping handle and a brushing member attached to the distal end of said handle; said brushing member having plurality of bristle clusters implanted into its face with base of each of said bristle clusters positioned underneath said brushing member surface and placed within an individual encasement; Said encasement holding said base of one bristle cluster and accommodating a lower magnet affixed to the bottom of said encasement and an upper magnet affixed to said base of said bristle cluster; Wherein said magnets are in substantially parallel alignment positioned so that their identical magnetic poles face one another.
 2. A toothbrush of claim 1 wherein said magnets are positioned so that south poles of said lower and upper magnets face one another.
 3. A toothbrush of claim 1 wherein said magnets are positioned so that north poles of said lower and upper magnets face one another.
 4. A toothbrush of claim 1 where said magnets are permanent magnets.
 5. A toothbrush comprising a gripping handle and a brushing member attached to the distal end of said handle; Said brushing member having plurality of bristle clusters implanted into its face with a base of each of said bristle clusters positioned underneath the surface of said brushing member and placed within an encasement; Said encasement holding said bases of all bristle clusters, and accommodating a lower magnet affixed to the bottom of said encasement and a number of upper magnets equal to the number of said bristle clusters, one of each of said upper magnets affixed to one of said bases of bristle clusters; Wherein said upper magnets are in substantially parallel alignment to said lower magnet and positioned so that their identical magnetic poles face the identical pole of said lower magnet.
 6. A toothbrush of claim 5 wherein said magnets are aligned so that south pole of said lower magnet faces and south poles of said upper magnets.
 7. A toothbrush of claim 5 wherein said magnets are aligned so that north pole of said lower magnet faces and north poles of said upper magnets.
 8. A toothbrush of claim 5 where said upper and lower magnets are permanent magnets. 